Tarma Lands
The Tarma Lands were one of the six great western principalities of old Arthedain.House Tarmear ruled the North Moors and some of the land south of Lake Evendim. TA 1640 Seven Great Houses (S . "Belegmair ") dominate the aristocracy of the kingdom of Arthedain . Each owns considerable property and maintains a military force more-or-less independe t of royal control .The Lords (S . Hirereter ) of the Great Families are permanent members of the Royal Council . The House Tarmeär ,strongest in wealth and influence among the ruling families of Arthedain , gain their prestige by both numbers and talent , contributing many family members to both the military and civilian sectors of government and to the Council of Seers and the Guardians of the Palantiri . Their chief stronghold , Tarmabar , sprawls over a hilltop south of Lake Evendim , unconfined by keep walls . Although the aging Hiradar Tarma seldom travels into Sîrgala , his policies and prejudices play a key role in local events . The Tarma lands share a border with Siragale ; the leaders of House Tarma have sought privileges and control within the Elvish province for centuries . The first Tarmeärs came to Sîrgala in the late Second Age as keepers of an observatory on Cloudbreak Watch , the tallest of the hills overlooking the southern shores of Lake Nenuial . More family members and retainers arrived during the persecutions of Ar-Pharazon . Always friendly with the Wood-elves of the Pinnath Aelinhith (S . "Lake-mist Downs, " "Lake Moors") , the refugees founded a second observatory and monastery at Tarmabar , at the western end of the moors , in T.A . 2 . Over the course of many centuries , the family' s wealth and prestige grew steadily . Tarmeär influence in Arnorian politics was second only to that of the royal family . As Arthedain's power has dwindled over the years , the Tarmears have come to be seen as a threat . Other powerful families , such as the Oromenyar and Hyarmenyar Houses , now routinely oppose their influence . For centuries , the Hirereder (Lords ) Tarma have accumulated privileges and charters in Sîrgala , with the expectation that the decline of the Sîrrandrai Elves would allow them to exploit the province to their advantage . King Argeleb and his advisers , while denying such intentions publicly , granted the Periannath (Hobbits ) settlement rights to [[the Shire in large part to block Tarma expansion . Finralin en Tarmeär , the Hireter these past eighty years , could not defeat the King in council , but has striven mightily to resist Hobbit expansion into the province . Most of the villages and strategic points in northern Sîrgala show a Tarmëar presence . Their soldiers , clad in distinctive silver-grey tunics , have the power to investigate and prosecute crimes , both real and imagined , as far south as Michel Delving . Where royal soldiers might strike Hobbits as aloof , Tarmear officials show arrogance and often outright hostility . Hobbits fear them , avoiding their soldiers and hired thugs as best they can. The traditional Tarmear lands are relatively green and prosperous , good for farming and grazing , as well supporting a selection of limestone and marble quarri - Their western reaches , around Tarmabar , are dotted with terraced gardens and orchards. Along the southern edge : the Tarmëar fiefdom lie the Meadow Downs (the North Moors to Hobbits).Between the Lake Moors and the Meadow Downs lies Gladelands—fertile , rollin g country , where grains and good oak mix with stone cottages barns . The peasants of this goodly country are loyal to Tarmear and convinced that the "Halflin ' and Gob ' hordes to the south" mean to take what they have . Hobbits who cross the border into this otherwise peaceful country are in severe danger of a beating or lynching . References *MERP:Arnor Category:Region Category:Province Category:Arthedain